Canadian Cage Recomendations?

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M

mapleplus1

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Hi Rat Parents!

I am Canadian and I am looking for cage recommendations. I have been researching how to care for pet rats for a while. I am not ready to get rats yet but I am toying with the idea of planning what cage to get. I can't order one online so I am stuck with the few local pet store cages in my area. Sadly, I don't have enough space for a Critter Nation. My budget is $150-$175 (if I really like the cage). The local stores in my area are Pet Smart and Pet Value.

Do you have any cage recommendations that are available in Canada and within my budget? I want something suitable for rats that will keep them healthy and is not cramped.
 
keep an eye out for a critter nation in good condition, second hand
or start saving money - Pet Smart sells the critter nation under a different name, at a lower price and occasionally put them on sale.
You will find that the cost of a good cage is nothing compared to the medical expenses you will have,
so you may want to delay getting rats until you can better afford them

Rabbit cages that are 39 - 40 inches long and 18 - 24 inches wide, can be good cages for larger rats if you add a couple of home made levels - but due to the bar spacing is not good for smaller rats. This is the min., bigger then this is better.

The martins R695, powder coated with flip top lid is a good cage but it is extremely expensive to have it shipped from the USA to Canada (martinscages.com)

You need a cage that is at least 4 cubic feet in size, with a base at least 30 inches by 18 inches and height with large (not small) levels

Rats do like to climb but lots of horizontal space is most important .... and all the other cages I can think of are much too small ...... if you buy a rat starter cage, you will be wasting your money because they are not even big enough for baby rats
 
keep an eye out for a critter nation in good condition, second hand
or start saving money - Pet Smart sells the critter nation under a different name, at a lower price and occasionally put them on sale.
You will find that the cost of a good cage is nothing compared to the medical expenses you will have,
so you may want to delay getting rats until you can better afford them

Rabbit cages that are 39 - 40 inches long and 18 - 24 inches wide, can be good cages for larger rats if you add a couple of home made levels - but due to the bar spacing is not good for smaller rats. This is the min., bigger then this is better.

The martins R695, powder coated with flip top lid is a good cage but it is extremely expensive to have it shipped from the USA to Canada (martinscages.com)

You need a cage that is at least 4 cubic feet in size, with a base at least 30 inches by 18 inches and height with large (not small) levels

Rats do like to climb but lots of horizontal space is most important .... and all the other cages I can think of are much too small ...... if you buy a rat starter cage, you will be wasting your money because they are not even big enough for baby rats

Thank you for the tips!

I saved up money for Vet Care already. (I have been thinking about getting rats for a couple of years now. It just takes time for me to be ready.) For me the issue of the CN is that I don't have room where I live. I live in one room. So the CN would not fit (which sucks!). I would love a CN. I can't do Martin's because of the shipping fees. I am thinking of doing the All Living Things Rat Starter kit. It is 17 by 28 by 31 inches. Is that big enough for two rats? (The rat cage calculator says it fits three rats but that seems kind of cramped to me.) Would they just chew through the plastic bottom?
Sorry if these questions seem dumb. I just want to make sure I know everything there is to know before committing to rats because I want to be a good owner.
 
I would do no more than 2 rats in the All Living World Rat Starter cage. And give them plenty of play time with you. The rat calculator is not exactly the best tool. There are several factors too. If you have three petite extremely friendly females, that would work too. Two big burly boys would be enough. Two rats who aren't really that friendly with each other would work but not three. They really need their space.
 
When I first got rats, I had them in an old birdcage and then in a rabbit cage with ladders and plastic containers as levels. I have a quarantine cage that is around the size of the one you're looking at and I find it a decent size for two large boys, but it would definitely be better for girls because they are quite a bit smaller. I understand that a critter nation would not fit in your room, but you would probably end up getting one eventually because cleaning a cage like that with small, difficult to remove plastic levels gets really annoying after a while. I have the cage that SQ is talking about (the one that's exactly like the CN except the brand of the cage you're currently considering) and I love it, but it is definitely out of your current price range.

https://www.kaytee.com/all-products/small-animal/kaytee-deluxe-24-x-24-multi-level-home-with-casters
This is a nice cage that wouldn't take up a lot of room, but you'd have to have rats big enough that the 1" bar spacing wouldn't be an issue. I have seen it at a local pet store, possibly a Pet Value, but not PetSmart. You might be able to find it online for a good price though, I recall it costing around $160 but it may have been a sale. You'd have the same issue with cleaning the cage being annoying, but rats are worth it.

In my experience, the only rats who chew through plastic are females. When you get rats, you might want to get a smaller travel cage for them because it will come in handy later, or just put them in a plastic bin that they can't escape, and give them some plastic toys. If they can chew through those, they might be able to chew through the bottom of a cage. You could also just look at any plastic toys they have when you first meet them to see if they are heavily chewed. I think the angle of the plastic of the cage bottom would make it extremely difficult for them to chew through it though, so I wouldn't be too concerned about that happening.
 
Your best bet is to look on a Used site (in Victoria BC we have UsedVictoria), that way your money will go further to get something bigger & better (extra can go in your vet fund). While you're hunting, look for a smaller one as well for transporting to vet, or if you need to separate anyone temporarily..
You want to get something with horizontal bars as they like to climb, and the closer together the bars are, the better, in case you get babies.. Levels aren't important, nor ladders, you can make levels using upturned plastic bins from the dollar store (with a door cut in) and hanging hammocks.
A big doorway is fantastic for ease of adding/removing things to clean, it can be a pain to have to remove the top for something simple.
I've had over 60 rats, never had anyone chew thru the plastic bottom, most anyone did is chew just a bit on the top edge, and that was very rare..
 
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